The Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State, Jarrett Tenebe, on Wednesday reiterated his stance on the corruption allegations against the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Asue Ighodalo, stating that he stood by his comments and owed no apology.
In a statement issued in Abuja by Tenebe’s lawyer, Dr. Blessing Agbomhere, the APC chairman made it clear that he had not defamed Ighodalo. The statement read, “We further want to state unequivocally that our client did not defame your client in any way, and as such, there is no need for a public apology or retraction of comments made in the alleged video.”
Agbomhere also added, “However, if your client chooses to pursue this matter further by going to court, we will rely on the defence of justification, based on the report of the Edo State Vehicle Recovery Committee, which implicated your client, and the preliminary report of the Edo State Asset Verification Committee.”
On 10 December, Tenebe, in a viral video, had accused Ighodalo of corruption and misappropriation of state funds, following a verbal gaffe by Governor Monday Okpebholo during the presentation of the state’s N605 billion budget to the Edo House of Assembly.
“I don’t know figures. You see, that is how to know original and innocent people. Obaseki will not make such a mistake because he has stolen billions before. Asue Ighodalo will not make such a mistake because he has stolen billions before,” Tenebe claimed in the video.
He further dismissed Okpebholo’s gaffe as inconsequential, comparing it to a similar mistake made by former South African president Jacob Zuma.
In response, Ighodalo’s legal team, from the Banwo and Ighodalo law firm in Lagos, issued a letter to Tenebe on 11 December, demanding an apology and a retraction of the allegations within seven days. However, the APC chairman has since refused to comply, asserting that his statements were justified by the findings of the aforementioned committees.
